There’s a clear trend in the movies I picked, they’re ripe with adventure and a bit of otherworldly awe. Not for everyone to be sure, but these movies somehow combine all of the elements of cinema to present to us a seamless alternate reality. I think just about anybody could walk away from these films and “get it.” They might not go and buy the DVD, but for 2 hours they’ll have believe in something more than the uncomfortable seats, stale popcorn, and blurry screen laid out before them. They will have become a part of the world presented to them. Why?

Indiana Jones isn’t just a film that stars Harrison Ford, no, no, no! It’s an authentic adventure that by the second act has you fully acknowledging the existence and even the perils of the good Dr. Jones. And by the closing scene of Nausicaa, you’re so captured by Miyazaki’s world, that you’ve even forgotten that you’re watching an animation.

These are perfect examples of films that took great pains to reach out to us, to lure us in, and make us believe in them. Each frame, every scene, and even the selection of actors are taken into account by the filmmakers. They know if they don’t hit each detail just right, that the audience will not accept the world they are trying to create.

Now for a side by side!

Lets take a look at Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, both are most excellent actors who often co-star in films; films which often make a great deal of cash monies at the box office.

You’ve Got Mail. If you remember this film at all, it’s likely because you saw the original with James Stewart and wished they had let a good thing be. This is not a horrible movie, not by any means. You could sit down and watch this thing and have a great time. But you know you’re just watching a movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. There’s nothing else to it. There’s no magic, no spark, and that attention to the cinematic presentation is lacking and the elements do not combine.

Now take a look at Joe vs. the Volcano. Same actors, basically the same love story, but by the end of this particular feature, you’re genuinely touched! You feel empathy for Joe Banks and his quest for… holy shit, did you see what happened? I just called Tom Hanks Joe! I don’t even remember what his characters’ name was in You’ve Got Mail!

Where do you pinpoint the difference? I would love to say it was the simple fact that I enjoy adventure flicks more than regular romantic comedies, but there’s a lot more to it as Sleepless in Seattle can attest. So what makes a movie good? Memorable? What is it that the audience wants to gain from your work?

I believe that it’s trust.

How do you gain trust from anyone? You have to work for it, you have to present yourself clearly and consistently, you must never waiver from your promises, and you must always give more than you take.

For filmmakers, that means you have to trust your audience first. Trust them to be able to enjoy your film regardless of it’s medium, to understand the plot and dialogue. So you must never dumb it down for the lowest denominator! You will want to leave plenty for those folks to chew on, but never hold their hand. They don’t wash them after using the toilet you know!

So, is skillfully combining the elements something that can be taught and learned? Or do you have to be born to ride? I don’t know for sure, but I’ve seen people grow, and artists evolve. Perhaps, as so long as you truly wish to believe, and trust in your own films… “if you build it, they will come.”

After a bit of a nudge (shove, really) I started digging around my collection of videos, new & old, and started uploading them to Viemo! Something that's been far too long on that old todo list. Far too long...

Back in November at the Machinima Expo, Ricky Grove tried to explain to us his ideals on the difference between professionals and armature filmmakers. Mike and I exploded into a fury of behind-the-scenes discussion about how many of the filmmakers in the audience with us were never going to achieve any sort of mainstream (Youtube, DVD, TV, or otherwise) success. It lasted all night.

Why? They could really give two shits about all that. They were making Machinima for themselves, and they really truly could care less if you loved it or hated it.

Mike and I were flabbergasted. We had just spent an entire summer with Barriccus fine tuning and crafting a script that we had hoped would rival the likes of popular animated sitcoms such as Futurama, Family Guy, and The Simpsons. We spent hours re-tooling a single joke comparing a characters drunkenness to a bevy of pop-culture celebrities until we finally settled on one that had us rolling in sicking fits of laughter. We pulled those all-nighters for one reason, and one reason only: To make the best damn episode 1 we could. One that would be hailed and accepted by a large audience. One that we could be proud of as entertainers.

Some time next year, Machinima.com is going to release new shorts by established comedic writers, professionals that worked on those shows we took our own inspiration from. These shorts are going to be insanely popular, and those directors Mike and I were so flabbergasted by are going to be looking around, asking, “Where the fuck were all these viewers hiding? Why weren't they looking at my stuff?”

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Machinima community, we're about to receive a royal kick in the ass by the very establishment we vowed to beat from the other-side. (Don't kid yourself, we've all secretly wished for it!) They're going to sweep in, with years experience for writing for an audience, and snag a viewership that we could only dream of. These viewers will be so hungry for this material, that servers will crash when new installments are released. These viewers will create fan pages, leave comments, have fights, spam inboxes, and in short, be enthralled.

And there's NOTHING you and I, or any of us can do to stop it.

But what we can do is learn from it. Watch the shorts and listen to their viewers. Discover which outlets prove most worthy, which formats gain most praise, and perhaps, even learn a new directorial trick or two! This kick in the ass, ultimately, will be swift and not last too long. It will sting, but it will not maim or cripple us. We are a force, we are creative, we are established, and we are brilliant. We are Machinimators, Filmmakers, Animators, and Story Tellers. We have paved the way for these clowns, opened the eyes of the world, without us there would be no stage for them to dance upon. They will come with a routine of moves that will be loved and remembered, but that does not mean they will dominate the floor forever with their Disco.

Watch and behold the difference between us Ammetures and the Professionals on the same playing field.

Fear not, my comrades, for this is not a fight, this is not a war. This is a lesson to be learned.

Last year I vowed to include more pictures and such with my post, to try to narrow my focus more toward the art of Machinima and the like.

This year I am vowing to include actual Machinima to my postings. I'm talking movies, animations, storyboards, scripts, and concept art, all for your viewing pleasure. In short, I would like to phase this sucker into an actual production blog, rather than my simple rant box with pictures.

Sure I'll continue to post about things that strike my fancy, but I think that YOU would be better served with the sort of content I imagine you were hoping to find: Machinima!

What happened to my autumn? Things have been zooming by so fast these past two months, I'm not even sure where I'm supposed to be anymore. I technically don't even have a home, so much as a loving place to stay for a bit. For a fleeting moment, I even forgot who I was supposed to be. I did take some time to stop and photograph the changing trees, but it seems so long ago now that it's as if it could have been last year's camping trip.

Well, the move is 99% completed. All that's left is a big trash run, and figuring out what to do with the now useless the lawn equipment. In a weird way, it feels like I'm just on sabbatical, and everything will be like it was when I wake up tomorrow. That's stress to a degree I am quite unaccustomed. I even decided last night to completely skip the annual family Thanksgiving trip, when I realized that I was likely to fail my CCNA class next December without a serious time out to study up. One thing I dislike more than moving and loosing our office, and that's wasting time by failing classes.

As much turmoil has been floating about my waters these past months, I do take solace in those few bright lights that shone through clouds. Bush is finally out of there, and we elected someone who can at least form complete sentences. Can't say I'm a big fan of his politics, but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't like him. The Machinima Expo went down very well, I had an amazing time at the panels and watching some quality machinima flicks. I was so impressed, I even felt the need to phone in my accolades. But, perhaps the greatest solace this month was a Quantum of Solace (come on, you saw this coming!) which, from an action movie junkies perspective, was the greatest 007 film ever made. Ever. God I loved that movie.

For now, I'm just going to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ever-living hell out of my weekend. Maybe eat me some of this really yummy looking candy.